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CHANGERS

FOREVER

From the Changers series , Vol. 4

Fast-paced and wonderfully, forcefully loud about privilege—but, premise aside, this explores discrimination more than...

A Changer never returns to their childhood name and body; for adulthood, they choose one of the identities they’ve experienced serially during high school.

This first-person protagonist has been a thin white girl, a thin black boy, and a fat Filipina-looking (as described in the previous book) girl. As this series-ender opens, she’s still Kim Cruz, with one more incarnation looming. Changers’ raison d’être is to mend the world because humans who’ve lived as more than one race or gender would never discriminate. This premise posits race and gender as exterior traits; deep connection to various identities is missing, and changes bring no new cultural knowledge. The protagonist cannot learn with any fullness what it’s like to be a fat Asian girl unless we reduce “being” to issues of discrimination and privilege, ignoring the many layers and facets to any identity apart from how others treat you. Additionally, being “postgay and postgender” is considered evolved, which almost dismisses distinct identities more than honoring them. In other ways, however, the text is admirably anti-racist, anti-sexist, and pro-queer, the latter including a refreshingly mellow attitude about bisexuality. Social justice murkiness aside, the suspense is high, the plot is irresistible, and contemporary cultural references overflow—from edibles to hashtags. This series is knowingly cool but still cool (though quoting Audre Lorde without attribution isn’t—and is a missed opportunity to educate readers unfamiliar with her work).

Fast-paced and wonderfully, forcefully loud about privilege—but, premise aside, this explores discrimination more than identity. (glossary) (Fantasy. 12-16)

Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-61775-528-6

Page Count: 280

Publisher: Black Sheep/Akashic

Review Posted Online: July 16, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018

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LEGENDARY

From the Caraval series , Vol. 2

Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play.

Garber returns to the world of bestseller Caraval (2017), this time with the focus on younger, more daring sister Donatella.

Valenda, capital of the empire, is host to the second of Legend’s magical games in a single year, and while Scarlett doesn’t want to play again, blonde Tella is eager for a chance to prove herself. She is haunted by the memory of her death in the last game and by the cursed Deck of Destiny she used as a child which foretold her loveless future. Garber has changed many of the rules of her expanding world, which now appears to be infused with magic and evil Fates. Despite a weak plot and ultraviolet prose (“He tasted like exquisite nightmares and stolen dreams, like the wings of fallen angels, and bottles of fresh moonlight.”), this is a tour de force of imagination. Themes of love, betrayal, and the price of magic (and desire) swirl like Caraval’s enchantments, and Dante’s sensuous kisses will thrill readers as much as they do Tella. The convoluted machinations of the Prince of Hearts (one of the Fates), Legend, and even the empress serve as the impetus for Tella’s story and set up future volumes which promise to go bigger. With descriptions focusing primarily on clothing, characters’ ethnicities are often indeterminate.

Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play. (glossary) (Fantasy. 12-16)

Pub Date: May 29, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-250-09531-2

Page Count: 464

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018

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THE FIELD GUIDE TO THE NORTH AMERICAN TEENAGER

Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice.

A teenage, not-so-lonely loner endures the wilds of high school in Austin, Texas.

Norris Kaplan, the protagonist of Philippe’s debut novel, is a hypersweaty, uber-snarky black, Haitian, French-Canadian pushing to survive life in his new school. His professor mom’s new tenure-track job transplants Norris mid–school year, and his biting wit and sarcasm are exposed through his cataloging of his new world in a field guide–style burn book. He’s greeted in his new life by an assortment of acquaintances, Liam, who is white and struggling with depression; Maddie, a self-sacrificing white cheerleader with a heart of gold; and Aarti, his Indian-American love interest who offers connection. Norris’ ego, fueled by his insecurities, often gets in the way of meaningful character development. The scenes showcasing his emotional growth are too brief and, despite foreshadowing, the climax falls flat because he still gets incredible personal access to people he’s hurt. A scene where Norris is confronted by his mother for getting drunk and belligerent with a white cop is diluted by his refusal or inability to grasp the severity of the situation and the resultant minor consequences. The humor is spot-on, as is the representation of the black diaspora; the opportunity for broader conversations about other topics is there, however, the uneven buildup of detailed, meaningful exchanges and the glibness of Norris’ voice detract.

Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice. (Fiction. 13-16)

Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-06-282411-0

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018

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